An 88-year-old Democratic Congresswoman recently fell victim to a scam in her own home, prompting police to suggest she may be experiencing the ‘early stages of dementia.’

Eleanor Holmes Norton, the House of Representatives’ most senior member, has represented Washington DC as a non-voting member since 1991. She stirred debate last month when she announced her intention to seek re-election.

Norton’s office revealed that a group posing as HVAC technicians deceived her at her apartment in DC around 3:30 PM on Thursday.

The supposed workers were granted entry but failed to perform any tasks; instead, they charged her nearly $4,400 using her credit card. Fortunately, a friend and her house manager intervened to halt the scam, as reported by NBC4.

According to the police report, Norton is under the care of a longtime associate, Jacqueline Pelt, who has power of attorney due to Norton’s ‘early stages of dementia.’

The caretaker was not at Norton’s home when the phony workers showed up but soon arrived and phoned the police after seeing the workers on a security camera.

They called Norton and advised her to tell them to leave before arriving on the scene and discovering the fraudulent credit card charge. 

Both Washington police and the US Capitol Police cooperated on the investigation and discovered that both Norton’s credit card and driver’s license number ‘could potentially be compromised.’ 

Eleanor Holmes Norton (pictured) – the oldest member of Congress – was scammed out of thousands of dollars in her own home and led police to claim she’s in the ‘early stages of dementia’

Norton’s office confirmed that a group of people who claimed to be HVAC workers tricked her at her DC apartment around 3:30pm Thursday

No arrests have been made yet, the incident is still under investigation and being treated as felony fraud. 

Police said that this is the third time this year this fraud has been attempted upon Norton, but they were told to go away the first two times. 

They added that no property was stolen. 

Norton’s spokesperson told NBC4 that the police report isn’t entirely true, arguing that Pelt – who called the police – is merely a house manager. 

‘The Congresswoman employs a house manager who oversees all maintenance services, so she initially assumed her staff had arranged the visit and provided her credit card for payment.’

‘Upon notifying her house manager, who reviewed Ring doorbell footage and confirmed that no such appointment had been scheduled, the incident was immediately reported to the police.’ 

‘Congresswoman Norton doesn’t have a caretaker. A longtime employee and friend serves as the house manager, residing at a separate address.’ 

The spokesperson would not confirm whether or not Pelt has power of attorney.  

The police report said that Norton has a caretaker – named in a separate incident report as longtime Norton ally Jacqueline Pelt (pictured left) – with power of attorney because she is in the ‘early stages of dementia’

Police said that this is the third time this year this fraud has been attempted upon Norton, but they were told to go away the first two times

The Daily Mail has reached out to Norton’s office for further comment.

A D.C. native and civil rights champion who grew up in a segregated capital, Norton has pushed legislation to help district residents, including passing tax credits for college and first-time home purchases.

Her stature looms large on Capitol Hill, where she is a familiar face. But she increasingly looks frail, feeble and unable to navigate herself without assistance.

At public appearances, Norton has seemed unsteady and struggled to read from prepared notes, including at a recent committee hearing focused on stripping some of Washington´s independence on prosecuting crime. 

The delegate doubling down on running for office next year came just days after she was seen struggling to walk at a public speaking engagement at the Capitol.

‘Are you OK on your own?’ an aide for the D.C. delegate asked the aging member in a hot-mic moment while walking the octogenarian to the speaking podium.

‘I’ll be right here,’ the aide reassured Norton before letting go of her arm and shuffling to the background of the news conference.

Despite these physical challenges, she’s not ready to hang up the trappings of elected office. 

The 88-year-old has been spotted arm in arm with staffers as she tried to walk around the sprawling Capitol complex 

Holmes said in September that ‘of course’ she is running in the midterms, according to Axios. 

‘I say that my seniority is what is very important, and I am not going to step aside,’ the Democrat stated. 

But some senior Democratic and Capitol Hill staffers are begging for Norton to retire. 

Even longtime allies say Democrat Eleanor Holmes Norton, the district’s nonvoting delegate in the House, has not risen to the challenge of pushing back against the Trump administration’s intervention into her city. 

During Trump´s monthlong security emergency and since, Norton has not been as publicly visible as city officials, who attended protests and held media events denouncing the intervention.

The race to replace her has began in earnest, with two members of the D.C. Council, including a former Norton aide, announcing campaigns for the 2026 contest.

‘D.C. is under attack as at no other time in recent history, and we need a new champion to defend us,’ Donna Brazile, a onetime Norton chief of staff, wrote in a Washington Post opinion essay.

Brazile acknowledged Norton´s legendary service and why she might wish to continue. 

‘As I´ve told her in person,’ Brazile said, ‘retirement from Congress is the right next chapter for her – and for the District.’

While the D.C. delegate position is a nonvoting one, it grants the people of the district, who have no other representation in Congress, a voice through speechmaking on the House floor and bill introduction. 

With Norton quiet, other leaders in the Democratic-run city have filled the void since Trump´s emergency declaration.

Mayor Muriel Bowser has stepped in as the district’s main mediator with the administration and Congress, joined by the council, although that outreach has been fragmented. D.C. 

Attorney General Brian Schwalb sued the administration in the most combative stance against the federal government´s actions.

But as she left a recent House hearing about the district, she responded with a strong ‘no’ when asked by reporters whether she would retire.

Allies, including Bowser and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, have declined to publicly endorse another Norton run. 

Among those seeking to challenge her in next year’s Democratic primary are two council members – Robert White Jr., a former Norton aide, and Brooke Pinto. Many others in the city have expressed interest.